Tag: V8

A few minutes ago, I don’t even know what a Subaru Justy was. But now I can tell you that it’s a small, light hatchback and would be a pretty great recipient to have the innards of a 4.6L Mustang Cobra stuffed into it. Wait…what?

Thanks to Robert for commenting on the last post and adding a link to this project. The Justang was built by Circuit Motorsports.

Driftworks is one of many companies who have stepped up their vlogging game in 2017, giving us a glimpse into not only their fleet and products, but the personalities behind them. Just over a week ago, the guys released a great video of the team looking back over the build of their ASCAR-based AE86 drift car, discussing in detail the process of the build, ups and downs, etc. Enjoy!

I’ve said this before, but it’s the humble yet amazing DIY garage builds that truly encompass the mantra of this website, and it’s a sentiment that Greg, the owner of this Swift, agrees with. His words: “1987 Pontiac Firefly (That’s a Canadian-Market Suzuki Swift or Chevy Sprint), with a full tube-frame, full cage, small-block Chevy, converted to front-engine-rear-wheel-drive. It all fits under the body work, and looks a sleeper.” The best part? The total cost came in at $3200CDN (roughly $2500US), an exercise in true DIY (see: transmission tunnel sheetmetal pillaged from dead freezer).

Hailing from our very own Build Threads Communal Garage is a very creative chap who runs a channel called It’s Ben Modified. The ‘about’ page says “Anything with Wheels and a Motor”, and to be honest I can’t think of a better way to describe the types of automobiles being pieced together in this shop. The projects range from (but aren’t limited to) 400 Hp V8 VW Truck, an electric conversion of a VW Bus, a pedal electric motorcycle and even an Autobianchi Bianchina being converted to bike-power. Long-term readers might remember one of these unique creations from a previous post, the Hayabusa Reverse Trike. Don’t forget to join the discussion group if you haven’t already, you never know what you might find or who you might meet in there!

Along with the very popular and often replicated Bullitt Mustang, there was also a certain DodgeCharger featured within the same movie. The one in this feature here is set to be not just a replica, but a modern interpretation that would have no trouble leaving many a Mustang in it’s dust.

Starting with a clean base car that even had some un-touched factory panels, this very organised build quickly evolves to showcase an insane level of attention to detail, and a host of very impressive metal work. My favourite part would have to be the retrofitted air conditioning setup with custom lines in the front guards/fenders, along with their equally neat debris covers. Well, that, and the almost-too-cool custom wheels that were manufactured to mimic the original hub caps.

The car is yet to be finished, but has been seeing steady progress for almost 3 years and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. Definitely one to follow.

Thanks to David for submitting. Click here for more Pro Touring builds.

If there’s one type of build that gets the most attention on Build-Threads.com, it’s gotta be the chassis swap. Taking the shell of one car and pairing it with the floorpan and running gear from another really gets peoples imaginations going, gives us all the feeling that anything our minds conjure up is possible.

This one combines a 1973 Volvo P1800 with the underpinnings of a 1996 MazdaMiata/MX5. Not wanting to stop there, the owner has replaced the standard Mazda 4cyl with a 302ci FordV8 (and over 7″ of stretched wheelbase!). There’s a bit of everything in this one, and it’s one of the most detailed chassis swaps to date.

Let’s take it waaaay back to the start of 2011 (that’s over four and half years ago, wow!). That’s when, at the end of my Speedhunters guest post, I posted a teaser image of an upcoming build. That image was a GC Impreza with an SR20 sitting neatly between the strut towers. Rob is the owner of that car, and he and I have been in contact since well before then, waiting for the perfect moment to feature his car. Well, things change, like engine swap choices, and that same Impreza now finds itself with double the cylinders and 100% less turbochargers. It’s been a long road for Rob and his Subaru, but the time is finally here to share his build with the rest of the world.

You have to give it to Hal, he sure is sticking it to the man! Not only does he shove a V8 into the rear of his Porsche, he actually cuts up his own fenders and fits his own wide body kit without having to fly someone half way around the world to do it for him. But in all seriousness, this is a great looking car with an engine that many won’t approve of, but makes a lot of sense if you want some affordable and reliable power in your P-car. Purists look away now.

Colin Chapman, James Bond, Formula 1, Pretty Woman. These are some of things that you might associate with the word “Lotus”. But what about air ride, engine swaps, wide wheels and interior re-trims? I’ve mentioned before how much I love seeing once pampered classics being torn down and fettled with as they become more affordable, and these three examples truly embody the guiltless “modify everything regardless of the badge” train of thought. You might not agree with some of the styles of modification, but I’m not here to convince you one way or another, I just like seeing people modify cars, especially cars that are rarely messed with.

All three builds reside together on the Retro Rides forums, and whilst enjoying their threads individually, I thought they’d make a great combined post to showcase how these vintage British sports cars are being re-imagined by the DIY crowd. I’ve added some captions to the images to make it easier to follow, I hope you enjoy.

Have you heard of the Rampage Camaro? Of course you have, it was arguably the biggest hit of SEMA 2014; a second generation Camaro with a full slathering of motorsport technology and fabrication bestowed onto it by the wizards at Roadster Shop. And what’s better than seeing pictures of a glossy finished car shining under stadium lights? Pictures of that same car in bare metal with little to no panels bolted to it! I actually found this build through another featured build. I was browsing for updates on the red MKII Supra (whose owner works at Roadster Shop), when I saw him post a link to this build within his own thread. See, it always pays to look through the archives, you never know what you’ll find! I honestly had a lot of trouble figuring out which pictures to use for this post, as I found myself wanting to save pretty much every damn image from the thread, so I hope you enjoy the visual banquet that is this build as much as I did. It might not be achievable for most of us, but it’s nice to dream and peek into the upper echelon of car building once in a while. Who knows, you might find an idea or two for your own build?

Click here for more Roadster Shop builds (there are four so far including this one).